Patrik Laine is getting ready to begin his first full season with the Montreal Canadiens.
A preseason knee injury delayed his debut last year, but this time around, he’s fully healthy and ready to hit the ground running.
Despite that, it’s not all sunshine and lollipops with Laine, and his lackadaisical play throughout portions of this preseason has drawn the ire of the fanbase and media in Montreal.
Former Canadien, now BPM Sports host Gilbert Delorme, is one of them, as he recently spoke about the sniper and wasn’t so complimentary of the way he carries himself on and off the ice.
“Patrik Laine, honestly I’m looking forward to seeing his game, but he’s a burden for everyone. We don’t know where to put him, we don’t know what to do with him, we’re afraid to demote him because if we demote him, he’s going to sulk,” Delorme said.
Co-host Anthony Marcotte pitched in with a quick thought of his own.
“At 5-on-5, he’s nonexistent,” Marcotte added.
« Patrik Laine est un boulet pour tout le monde! » – Gilbert 😮#lnh #nhl #hockey #habs #canadiens #montreal #mtl #laine #demidov #kapanen #veleno pic.twitter.com/lPNQiCG8zV
— BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) September 30, 2025
The 27-year-old is entering the final season of the four-year, $34.8 million contract extension he signed with the Blue Jackets back in 2022. He produced 33 points (20 goals, 13 assists) in 52 games played last season, with 19 of those coming on the man advantage.
Pivotal year for Laine
You can’t understate how important this upcoming season is for Patrik Laine and his NHL future.
Injuries, lack of effort, minimal production at even strength, and issues off the ice have all combined to plague Laine at times in recent years, and he must prove that he can put all of that behind him and put together a full, productive year in 2025-26.
He hasn’t played 60+ games in a season since 2019-20 with the Winnipeg Jets, so his reputation of not being available for one reason or another has built up quite a bit, and that’s not a good thing.
His performance and availability in a contract year could be the difference between landing a lucrative new contract or being viewed as a short-term reclamation project in free agency.
Patrik Laine has the talent and ability to be one of the best goal scorers in the world, but it’s up to him to show us he can do it on a consistent basis without other problems arising.
